Tips for putting items in your car during transport

Let’s preface this blog with a simple statement: auto transportation companies are not licensed to carry household items. Just like how your plumber isn’t licensed to install your cable, auto transporters aren’t licensed to ship any household items, which can make the entire thing problematic if you need to ship a few boxes full of stuff in the back of your car.

There are certain loopholes that one can exploit to get around this, but you have to be careful because additional items in a vehicle being shipped add weight, and too much weight pushes the truck overweight. If the truck is overweight when it’s weighed in at a weigh station, the entire truck has to be searched for the extra weight. Here are some great tips for avoiding this and ensure a smooth transport if you need to put items in the vehicle.

1. Items should be placed in the trunk
We recommend not packing anything in the cab of the vehicle, since the cab of the vehicle has windows that you can see through and this includes inspectors at weigh stations. Since you’re not allowed to have anything in the vehicle anyway, most auto transporters will tell you to put items in the trunk of the vehicle instead. This is exploiting the “junk in the trunk” loophole that few auto shippers really care about unless you’re shipping a set of free weights ranging from five to fifty pounds. A few items in the trunk of the vehicle shouldn’t cause anyone concern and you should be just fine shipping it. If you do place any personal goods in the cab, make sure it’s secured and stowed on the floorboard in the back, below the window line, and not placed in the front two seats. It’s important to remember, while your vehicle is insured by the carrier’s cargo liability insurance, any additional personal items placed in you vehicle are NOT covered and not the carrier’s responsibility.

2. Pay attention to what you’re putting in the trunk
Remember how we said overweight trucks are subject to inspection if they weigh over the maximum of 80,000 pounds? Keep that in mind. You want to only ship things that are light and fluffy – bowling balls, weight sets, TV’s and furniture need not apply. Keep the items you place in your vehicle light and easy to move – if it does need to be removed, you don’t want to sit there trying to pull it out for an hour. You should keep what you place in the trunk restricted to things such as linens, clothes, pillows and other fluffy, airy things.

3. If it can break, don’t put it in your car
Items in the trunk of a vehicle being shipped might get around some loopholes, but it doesn’t mean your goods are going to be insured in any way. As far as the carrier’s concerned, that trunk is empty, even if it’s not, and therefore they have no obligation to insure items that aren’t your car because that’s not how insurance works. Your vehicle is fully insured from the moment the driver takes the keys from you. From there, any damage done to the vehicle is covered at the cost of the carrier’s insurance. But any items in the vehicle won’t be, and if they break that’s on you to get them fixed or replaced. If it can break, don’t put it in your car.

If you can follow these three simple tips for putting items in your car during transport, you should be just fine. If you’re shipping an SUV or a pickup truck, you’ll want to discuss your options for shipping items with the vehicle with them, since those don’t have trunks, per se. We’ll be able to help you out, and if you need a quote to ship a vehicle you can fill out our free online quote request form here. You can also call us at 888-514-4005 to speak to one of our live transport specialists, who can answer your questions, help you get your quotes and help you with anything else you need.